Boxing champion Terence Crawford had the opportunity to participate in a big crossover fight against Conor McGregor.
Crawford (40-0), a four-weight world champion in boxing, currently holds the WBA and interim WBO super welterweight titles. Former UFC lightweight champion McGregor (0-1) could have been on his resume, as he revealed there were once talks with the Irish MMA superstar.
Rumors of a two-fight deal with McGregor, one boxing bout and one MMA fight, were recently floating around. Crawford acknowledged there were conversations directly with McGregor about making the fights come together, but he decided to turn down the offer.
While Crawford didn’t reveal when these conversations took place, he explained why he won’t compete in MMA.
“I told Conor to himself; I said, ‘Hell naw,'” Crawford told Bernie Tha Boxer on a YouTube live stream. “They called me, they offered me the fight. Me and Conor got on the phone; we started politicking, you know, trying to figure something out.
“I just told him, ‘Man, I’m not getting in no f*cking octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbowing me and sh*t.’ And so, he gets to laughing and sh*t. He’s like, ‘Man, I respect that because you respect my sport just like I respect your sport, and you understand that if you get in the octagon with me, you’re going to be at a disadvantage. Just like if I get in the boxing ring with you, I’m going to be at a disadvantage.'”
Even though “The Notorious” McGregor, 36, understood the physical reasons for turning down the fight, Crawford, 37, said the Irishman tried to appeal to his bank account.
“He was like, ‘But we’ll make a sh*t ton of money!'” Crawford said laughing, recalling what McGregor added. “I said, ‘Yeah, sometimes it ain’t about the money.’ I can make money, but you ain’t about to be kicking me, dude. Them kicks and elbows, that sh*t ain’t no joke.”
Crawford is doing very well monetarily in the boxing world. If all parties were on board, a crossover fight with McGregor would have been big business. Floyd Mayweather boxed McGregor in 2017, which proved to be a lucrative event for all involved, but Crawford would rather focus on his boxing legacy than mix in a one-off MMA fight.
Crawford is coming off a successful outing against Israil Madrimov in August. He wants to fight Canelo Alvarez, but negotiations haven’t produced any traction. His next fight in the ring may be against Sebastian Fundora, which would give Crawford the opportunity to capture three of the four 154-pound titles.
McGregor hasn’t competed in any combat sport since July 2021 at UFC 264, where he broke his leg in a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. Despite coaching opposite Michael Chandler on “The Ultimate Fighter” and saying he wants to return to action, there is no indication of when or where McGregor will fight next, if ever again.
